Organics the only way to ensure purity of food

"The
failure of Proposition 37, the initiative requiring
mandatory labeling of GMOs, at the polls this week in
California is a sad day for consumers" says Debbie Swanwick,
Spokeperson for Soil & Health - Organic NZ.

Over $45
million dollars was funded by big Agri Tech and corporate
America to sway voters which resulted in them securing a
narrow victory. Fifty three percent of voters opposed the
initiative. Monsanto, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kellogg, General
Mills, DuPont, Bayer and other food and pesticide companies
funded advertising and PR campaigns to stop labeling of
their products.

"Big Agri tech keeping consumers in the dark
by not labeling suggests not only do they not believe in
what they sell but they recognize there could be a consumer
backlash if GMOs had to be labelled" says Swanwick.

"The
fact they had to spend $45 million dollars says something
else - it suggests public opposition to GMOs in the US is
strong - which is also true here" says
Swanwick.

California grows 80% of all the fruits and
vegetables in the US and Prop 37 was seen as a testbed case
for the US as a whole.

Despite the loss, proponents of the
initiative have vowed to fight on. In addition to California
many other states (including Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois,
Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey,
Massachusetts, New Mexico, New Hampshire, New York, North
Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, West
Virginia and Washington) have also proposed legislation
requiring that food labels bear information disclosing GE
content.

"The failure of Prop 37 paves the way for the
Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, to be tabled in
December this year, to demand revocation of existing GMO
labeling laws in New Zealand" says Swanwick.

"Since the
1960s the only way to ensure the purity of food is to buy
organic. Legislation which permits big Agri tech to not
disclose what is in their products is merely forcing more
consumers to vote with their wallets which is why organic
sales worldwide are increasing dramatically and forecast to
double by 2015" says Swanwick.

Soil & Health is one of the
oldest organic organisations in the world and promote GE
free, organic, fresh and healthy food. Oranga Nuku, Oranga
Kai Oranga Tangata.

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